Nick was right and they woke to find Sam sound asleep in her bed. The plan was to have Sarah come over that afternoon and, after the conversation last night, it was clear that she needed someone who had known her for a while to cement her staying. Lauren was busy putting together an outfit from AJ’s sweats and t-shirts when she heard Sam cry out from down the hall. She raced down to the room and almost collided with Nick and AJ in the process.
“Let me do this.” Lauren said pushing the two of them back a little. “It’ll be easier for her to wake up to me instead of the two of you.”
Lauren slipped through the door and they could hear her shushing Sam back into sleep. It hurt AJ deeply to see the pain that she was obviously going through and more than anything, he wanted to see Ryan suffer for everything he’d put her through.
It took a few minutes before she reappeared and the guys followed her down to AJ’s room where she finished pulling together something that Sam would fit into.
“Is she ok?” AJ asked quietly.
Lauren shook her head no. “This isn’t the first nightmare she had and I think it’s going to take a long time,” Lauren paused for a minute, “and one dead body before she’s going to be ok.”
Nobody had to ask her whose dead body it would be and frankly, they all wished they could do it for her.
“Do you think she’s safe here?”
“Yeah I do. I know we’ll all protect her.” Nick answered his brother. “No matter what she says, she’s safer here with us than she’ll ever be if we let her leave.”
“I agree.” Lauren seconded and looked over the outfit in her hands. “But we need to find her better clothes.”
---------------------
It was an hour or so later when Sam finally awoke after yet another nightmare. Lauren was fixing some flowers in a vase when she heard her cry out.
“It’s ok Sam.” Lauren said in a soothing voice. “You’re fine.”
She eventually opened her eyes and looked around the room. The drapes were still drawn but Nick’s wife had lit a candle and put a bouquet of beautiful roses in a vase on the bureau.
“It smells good in here.” she said quietly and Lauren laughed.
“It had better between the roses and the candles.”
Sam chuckled and pushed the sheets away from her. “How long have I been asleep?”
“On and off for about eight hours. I don’t think you slept that well though.”
“I didn’t.” Sam answered and paused. “It was the nightmares again huh?”
Lauren nodded and helped her stand up. “Why don’t you go take a shower and get cleaned up?”
“I don’t have any clothes to change into.”
“I know, I put a pair of AJ’s sweats and a t-shirt in the bathroom for you.”
“Thank you but what happens when he runs out of stuff I can wear?”
“One step ahead of you.” Lauren said as she steered her towards the bathroom. “I sent the boys shopping.”
Sam’s eyes went wide. “They left? What if…”
“Calm down. AJ called Drew and he came over. He has strict orders that if Ryan comes anywhere near here, he’s to throttle him and AJ’ll pay for a lawyer.”
Sam burst out in laughter and Lauren smiled. “I knew that would do it. Go get cleaned up and don’t forget Sarah will be here in a little while.”
The thought of seeing her old friend made Sam smile and she thanked Lauren as she went to the bathroom to shower. Turning on the water, she stuck her hand in to test the temperature and started to relax. The fact that she was going to take a warm shower and wear clean clothes for the first time in six months made her want to cry; a few minutes later, the tears came flooding out and she sat in the tub as she let everything out.
When she was finally cried out and cleaned up, she climbed out of the tub and toweled her hair as dry as she could. She turned to look in the mirror and was stunned by what she saw, her eyes had huge bags and her hair was long and straggly. Being clean was an improvement but she still looked like a homeless person that had been out on the street for a while; she was actually embarrassed for them to see her that way.
As she tugged on one of the t-shirts Lauren had left, she was caught off guard by the scent of AJ’s cologne. She pulled it close to her face and inhaled. This was the smell that she had fallen asleep with for the short time she and AJ had been together. She had never forgotten it and the happy memories it brought back made her want to cry again. Pushing the emotions down, she finished getting dressed and made her way back into the bedroom.
Lauren must have gone back downstairs and Sam wandered over to the window. She’d been locked in the dark for so long that she needed to feel light on her skin. Pulling back the curtains, the sun fell into the room and she soaked up the rays as she stared at the ocean behind his house. She desperately wanted to walk on the hot sand and feel it between her toes as the water lapped at her ankles. Unfortunately, she already knew how much danger they were all in and no matter what, she wouldn’t make it any worse by exposing herself.
She made her way back to the bed and just as she started to sit down, the door burst open and she smiled as she threw herself into the arms of her best friend.
Old Wounds by Kyrie
Author's Chapter Notes:
I am SO sorry for the delay in updating! Please let me know what you're thinking and I hope that all the time between updates hasn't discouraged you from reading!
